Once upon a time when asked in an interview whether or not Esben And The Witch had any limits, Multi-faceted musical virtuoso Tom Fisher claimed, "I don't think we should indulge ourselves.I would be too disappointed to return to reality." Make of that you what you will but for a band that's barely been in existence two years, the Brighton-based three-piece have already exceeded many people's expectations such is the haunting attention to detail and intricate nature of their recorded output to date.

Nottingham's own Spotlight Kid have blossomed out from the 'collars up' shoegaze of former bands Six By Seven and Model Morning and into something much more interesting. Sure, there are still nods to the typical purveyors of the scene, but like A Sunny Day In Glasgow and Matryoskha they have eschewed the script laid before them and created something much more vital.

Esben And The Witch have been garnering press accolades for a while now, and it has been suggested that the release of Violet Cries, their debut album, could propel the band into the commercial and critical stratosphere. According to this line of thinking, they're The xx fronted by Florence Welch: a talented, forward thinking band who are also engaging enough to sell records. For better or worse, Violet Cries disproves these claims. It's an impressive record, but it's not especially immediate or accessible, and it seems more likely to win them a cult following than a wide audience.